Couldn't Dodge the Bullet
by Miroir Twin
Summary: Abuse can take many forms and can come from the least expected places. What happens when the abuser is not only a honored hero, but a trusted cousin? Dark Bwen multi-chapter
1. Foreboding

They always came here, since the day he started working at this dead-end job, the trio in the green Challenger almost never missed a day to stop for one of Mr. Smoothy's famous ice cold beverages.

The 20 year old college dropout had been watching them with bored curiosity for months now, it wasn't that he was a stalker or anything like that; they just really stood out. The dark haired boy was fit and massive for a teen, eclipsing the other two smaller ones in comparison. The girl's long hair was a fire-engine red, impossible to miss despite her lean and petite physique. He didn't remember who they were other than being known as Kevin and Gwen, the last of the threesome though, he could recognize from anywhere.

Strolling towards the counter with a tiny Asian girl under his arm with an air of cocky confidence was the (in)famous Ben 10. He'd been all over the news for nearly half a year now, clearly enjoying the lime light at least a little.

Why the brunet consumed the liquid plastic-sugar drinks here, the WoW geek would never understand. He tried to put on the cheesy ass 'mandatory' greeting smile all employees had to give to their customers when the group reached the till.

There was one other thing the humble Mr. Smoothy worker could never understand about Ben 10...and that's how he got away with abusing his best friend's girlfriend right in front of the guy's eyes.

Were celebrities really that immune to the laws of society that the 16 year old could smack the redhead's ass and flat-out state she's getting a 'diet' smoothy with just an eye roll, a glare and a giggle in response?

If another guy did that to his girlfriend (if he had one), the asshole would be half dead in a ditch. Ignoring his white-knight fantasies to save until later, he rushed to get the four ordered drinks silently while overhearing the two bickering with each other.

"And what is that supposed to mean Ben?" The redhead huffed, too used to this routine to bother correcting the order.

"It means you should stop taste testing the bake sale samples you're making for school..._it's kinda showing._" The boy in the green jacket muttered out the last bit, earning a juvenile snort from Kevin and a tsk from his girlfriend.

"Oh? And you eating nearly twice as much as I did is completely fine then?" Gwen bit back at her smug cousin, while he gave a relaxed shrug in response.

"I'm a growing teenage boy, I could probably eat all of it without gaining a single ounce of fat if I wanted to!"

"Y-Your orders." They barely noticed him, too caught up in their argument. Smoothy's were nearly ripped out of his hands while he watched in quiet awe.

"_If you even __**think**__ about it you'll be-_" Gwen started but was interrupted by the brunet getting right up in her face, boyish glee evident on his features from his cousin's unspoken challenge.

"I'll be **what**, Gwen?" He taunted her with bright green too wide eyes, his relaxed smirk tightening at the edges, showing gleaming white teeth.

"Never mind." It was always like this, the simple smoothy maker knew what happened the last time the girl vocalized her threats to the brunet. The wonder boy took it too far and the next day a letter from his lawyer came in, notifying them of all costs of damage to the property he'd have to pay was null and void thanks to a loophole in the system. It was weeks before they could reopen again. It seemed like Ben Tennyson could get away with just about anything.

Julie stood outside her front doorstep, waving to the three still left in the car as they drove off into the night. Ben rolled down the window, sticking his head out and yelled a puppy-like goodbye to his girlfriend's form that was shrinking into the distance.

"Ben!" His cousin hissed at him, it was 10 o'clock at night, and people were trying to sleep. He just mimicked a mocking and whiny 'What?' back at her, Gwen's eye roll didn't faze him in the least.

"Oh come on! Lighten up Gwen!" Her boyfriend suggested, rolling down his own window to holler out like a gorilla. The two teen boys laughed childishly while a tired Gwen sighed in the backseat.

"Not you too, Kevin..." She whined, earning a knowing and apologetic smirk from her boyfriend in the rear view mirror. "...what?"

"How would you like to come to my place this weekend...just the two of us?" The offer caught her off guard, it came out of nowhere, but Kevin clearly had been planning on asking her for a while now. Gwen felt a nervous flutter in her stomach, hesitating at the not-so-hidden meaning behind the invitation.

"Well..."

"It'll be fun," Kevin was calm and cool on the outside, trying to play it off like it was no big deal. It wasn't, not to him anyways. "I'll even cook for you...though I'm not exactly Gordon Ramses."

It was a big deal though, in varying degrees to the car's other two occupants.

"It won't be easy to get my parents to agree, but I can see what I can do." She mumbled out, her quiet answer getting lost in Ben's loud and obnoxious one.

"Uh hello, Gwen? You promised you'd help me with the garage sale this weekend..._remember_?"

"You can handle it by yourself, dude." Kevin was a little more than irritated at the boy.

"No, I can't! Sandra left me in charge of like- the biggest pile of junk! We could easily get a crap load of money if I just sign everything and put it on eBay instead, but _nooo_, everything has to go her way. You know how my mom is."

Ben's prattling took a backseat to the silent conversation going on between Gwen and Kevin. The unsure and shy glances of a couple on the verge of taking their relationship to the next level spoke volumes more than the brunet's chatter.

"...I'm dropping you off first, alright Ben?" Kevin interrupted him, earning a sour glare from his best friend.

"**Why?** Gwen's house is closer, drop her off first." The ebony sighed at the typical order; he turned down the street towards his girlfriend's home. He wasn't up for dealing with Ben's infamous bouts of stubborn tantrums. Besides, he'll just call Gwen and make plans with her later.

As they dropped the redhead off at home, Kevin didn't miss the pointed look Ben gave at the couple's goodbye kiss. The alien hero's whole demeanor changed once Gwen was inside and the car was moving. Kevin fought the urge to roll his eyes at the brunet's narrowed ones.

"_Dude._" Oh boy, here we go.

"Problem, Tennyson?" The cold and sober gaze of his friend gave Kevin the creeps. The whole 'hero-mode' persona was on full force, the casual and cocky attitude had vanished.

"You're not screwing my cousin." Ben wasn't asking, suggesting or even demanding the statement, his tone was final, laced with an authority earned from his years of heroism.

"We're not even having this conversation." Kevin knew he'd pull something like this, he should have waited until Ben was gone before asking Gwen over.

"There is no conversation. You're not. Screwing. My cousin."

"Last time I checked, you weren't her father, shit, you're not even her brother. You have no say on our relationship." Kevin sped up, trying to hurry and get the green-clad menace out of his car ASAP.

He slammed on the brakes though, shock coursing through his system from Ben grabbing the wheel and jerking it harshly to the right. The smell of burned rubber was in the air, signaling to Kevin that his tires were probably stripped.

"**What the hell, Ben?** I just got those put in last week!" Kevin was fuming, they nearly hit a street sign in the chaos. The brunet just casually climbed out, giving one last warning to his friend before slamming the car door shut and going inside.

_"You touch my cousin, and you're fucking dead, Levin."_

* * *

Gwen nearly lunged for the phone when it rang on the nightstand next to her bed, feeling excited and nervous at the same time from the anticipation of her weekend with Kevin. She cheerfully answered with a hopeful hello, only to lose the luster in her voice once the person on the other end started speaking.

"Oh...it's just you, Ben."

"What do you mean, just me?" Said person threw his jacket onto his bed while kicking off his sneakers.

"Nothing, I was just expecting my friend from school to call, that's all."

"Kevin doesn't go to your school though," The silence on the other end told him all that he needed, a smirk crept up on Ben's face at the thought of catching Gwen in a lie. "Anyways, about the garage sale. I was thinking you could do all the pricing and handle the money since you're a lot better at math than I am."

"Look Ben, I-"

"I'm doing the sales pitch, cause _hello _I'm Ben 10, of course people are going to want to buy my old things, comes with the territory of being awesome and famous."

"Ben, I'm going to go to Kevin's for the weekend." Gwen finally got a word in edge wise, halting his next wave of excitement.

"...You can't be at the garage sale and his apartment at the same time Gwen, people don't have that ability- well I do with Echo-Echo but that's different." The boy was sprawled on his bed, absentmindedly chucking and catching a random baseball he found on the floor.

"Ha-ha, very funny smartass. I'm serious though, sorry Ben, but I can't help you with the garage sale." Even when she tried to put her foot down, her cousin always seemed to ram his heel into it.

"I'm serious too! You promised me before Kevin even asked you that you'd help me with it!" Gwen pulled the receiver from her ear a good couple inches away, annoyed with Ben's too loud response.

"Yeah well, sorry Ben, but I changed my mind." She quickly hung up the phone before her cousin could counter her declaration, only to sigh in irritation once the phone started ringing again.

"Not answering you, doofus." Gwen mumbled and rolled on her side, she'd phone Kevin tomorrow about their plans.

* * *

The redhead was on the edge of consciousness, all her senses felt muffled and dulled down while she slept soundly. That calm serenity didn't last though. She was jarred awake by a weight at her side and a hand shaking her shoulder.

"Gwen." Even through the grogginess it was obvious who the voice belonged to.

"Ben, I have to help prep for the bake sale tomorrow morning. So, please just leave."

"Do you want to go to Kevin's that badly?"

"Shut up, Ben." She tried to swat her cousin away from her face, failing miserably. The weight shifted around her as he leaned both arms at the sides of her head.

"_You know he just wants to sleep with you._" Gwen didn't like the pang she felt in her chest at his words. Part of her knew that, the part she was ignoring.

"You don't know that." Green eyes squinted open in the dark, glaring at a matching pair looking down at her with annoyance.

"Gwen, I'm a guy," Ben started to explain, gesturing to himself then at her as he continued. "You're not. You don't understand the one thing on every guy's mind when they ask a girl to stay at their house _alone_ with them. Are you honestly ready for that? Cause I know for a fact that you aren't."

"No, you don't." The redhead tried getting up, but was pushed back down.

"Yes, I do Gwen. I know you. If you really were ready for something like that, you'd be researching it and would have had stacks of books on sex by now."

Gwen huffed and looked away from him stubbornly. She knew he was right, but couldn't come to admit it out loud. All the pressure was getting to her. Maybe she should just listen to her cousin. That's one thing she liked about Ben, he could be an egotistical jerk most of the time, but he had his moments, moments like these.

"I just don't want to see you get hurt. You know that."

It sealed the deal, she couldn't argue when her cousin was really just looking out for her. He could see it in her eyes and the way her shoulders slumped in defeat that she got the message. Gwen couldn't help but give her cousin a hug, a silent gesture of thanks that he understood and returned warmly.

"Now...Sandra said we can only do the bare minimum for pricing, but since everyone knows me, we can use that and triple the base price at least. Awesome idea, right?"

"I'm going to sleep now." She closed her eyes, ignoring her cousin's whining at her disinterest.

* * *

A/N: Wow, I finally uploaded something after months of inactivity. If any of you have read my other Bwen/Gwedo fic, you'll notice that it's gone on hiatus. I'm sorry for that, but I want to be in a better mental place before I continue writing it.

Now, this fic was born of my desire to write more Bwen stuff and stuff dealing with abusive relationships and Ben's ability to get away with everything in the UAF (Ultimate Alien Force) series. He does get away with stuff that would place him in the villain category more than the hero one. The writer's make him say and do immoral stuff but put him in a light where he's either justified or no one calls him out for it. _Well I am._


	2. Dread

Watching the redhead was like going back in time to her own youth, that spark in her eyes, the same confident way she carried herself gave the middle-aged woman a warm smile. The girl was doing a fantastic job juggling the bake sale booth all by herself, she was too preoccupied with the customers to notice the older lady's gaze from across the pathway in the gym.

One person got Gwen's attention though, he interrupted one of her classmates' questions while invading her personal space all at once.

"Hey, Gwen. Where's my free samples?" Gwen answered her cousin with a hand to his face, pushing him out of the way of the next customer.

"Oh come on, I skipped school to come see you and these delicious treats," Ben whined, ducking behind the table to swipe a cupcake and popped it in his mouth. "Are roo realry gon-to reyehked me rike dis?"

"Ben!" Gwen grabbed the opened package of bakery sweets out of her greedy relative's hands, ignoring his usual teasing. "I told you no for the billionth time! And do you want your parents to know about you playing hooky? Cause I'll tell them."

"Are you threatening me, Gwen?" The flame of challenge was in his eyes again, giving his cousin the smirk that he knew would aggravate her even more.

Gwen felt her blood boil and his taunts were just adding fuel to the fire. This was her territory though, her prep school, so she should have the upper hand, right?

"Do you want the school security to come and haul your butt off the property?" Gwen hissed at him lowly, unaware of a fellow student taking over her forgotten position with an amused look. Typical Tennysons.

"Oh! So you _are_ threatening me!" Ben's voice rose in contrast to the redhead's hushed one, gaining the attention of everyone in earshot. Of course he needed their attention, this wouldn't be half as fun without it.

"No, I'm not," Gwen tried to push gently against his chest to lead him out the gymnasium. "Just wait outside until it dies down, okay? I'll take my break early."

Ben held a look of contemplation, dramatically deciding if he was going to be merciful to his cousin or ignore her words and start shit. She placed the tray of frosted cupcakes back in his hands, nodding apprehensively to take it.

"Well okay, if you _insist_." Gwen was two seconds from slapping the exaggerated and cheerful grin off his face, but he had fortunately strolled out, already scarfing down the treats in hand. Her classmate Suzy chuckled at Gwen's breathy sigh of defeat, handing a lady her bag of lemon tarts and change before helping Gwen quickly place more plates of goodies on the table.

"How do you even put up with him?" She asked the redhead in a teasing way but the question was serious.

"I don't know...You just get used to it I guess," It was only the morning but Gwen felt exhausted, playing mind games with the brunet would do that to her. "You don't mind if I take a break now, do you?"

The girl smiled and waved her off, knowing full well that no one keeps Ben Tennyson waiting.

* * *

"Oh come on, Julie! I told you before that the garage sale was this weekend," The brunet leaned against the sidewalk railing, arguing with his girlfriend on his cellphone. "I did tell you...didn't I? Well it is...We can make plans another time, alright? What do you mean, no? Julie...Julie?"

The teen kicked the ground in frustration, ready to throw his green mobile onto the cement. How could she just hang up on him like that?

"Ben, what's the matter?" His cousin asked him worriedly, two soda cans in hand as she walked up to the irritated boy.

"Just having problems with Julie, that's all." He really didn't want to talk about it, grabbing the drink without so much as a thank you. Gwen looked at him pointedly.

"What did you do now?"

_"Why are you assuming it was me?" _Ben bit back, clearly his mood has gone sour.

"Maybe it's because it's always you?" She shouldn't have said that, now is definitely not the time to start something.

"How is it always my fault?" Ben was in her space again, backing Gwen up into the railing behind them. She moved her head to the side to avoid his tantrum head on.

"Just forget I said that. You should just phone her back-"

**"****No,****" **Ben grabbed the railing, encasing his cousin in a small cage of flesh and metal while trying to make her look directly at him. "No you don't. You're going to tell me why you think everything is my fault!"

"Just nevermind Ben, OKAY?" She tried pushing her captor away, using her elbow as leverage against his chest, but it just made the boy angrier. He shoved her roughly, his petty tantrum clouding his judgment and actions; Gwen nearly fell over the railing, her saving grace was due to her pissed cousin's body holding her own down firmly on the cold steel.

"You don't get to say shit about me like that Gwen!" His drink was forgotten, spilled on the ground next to the intertwined legs of two bickering cousins.

"I'm sorry then, alright?" She pleaded through clenched teeth.

**"No,"** All of Ben's rage at his girlfriend's rejection, was aimed at Gwen in the form of his hand clenched around her delicate jaw, squeezing it painfully while making the redhead face him. **"It's not **_**alright!**_** You're always trying to do this, trying to set me off! I already have enough shit to deal with, I don't need your judgment added to it!"**

Gwen stayed silent, realizing that no matter what she said, her juvenile cousin would take it as an attack. She tried not to meet the boy's gaze; turning away to look somewhere else, anywhere else but at those eyes that were hazed over in biased rage. That's when she spotted the eavesdropping older woman, just a few meters from the two, watching them with a sad and observing gaze.

Ben noticed his cousin's distracted state enough to realize they had company. Rather than look at the intruder, he opted to slowly straighten up and release Gwen's tender jaw bone from his violent grip. They both were caught in the act, guilty of an imaginary crime; heads down and moving awkwardly away from each other.

"I think I should head back inside." Gwen mumbled to her still pissed but wary cousin, receiving a side glare in return before Ben cooly walked off, his hero persona oozing from him with every brisk step.

"Whatever."

* * *

A/N: Well, this is usually where I start to thank people personally for their reviews but this fic hasn't gotten any yet. :(

I think I have Bwen fever right now, it's like the only thing on my mind. I know a lot of people aren't really shipping them right now due to Omniverse (which is awesome, if you haven't watched it, I recommend it especially the episode "Ben Again".) and MoA separating Ben and Gwen for the most part, but I don't want to give up this ship, even if I have to go down with it.


	3. Observations

_Margaret watched the young girl hesitate at the double glass doors, her eyes darting back and forth between the building in front of her and the small card in her hand. When the redhead cautiously started to enter the center, she couldn't help give a small smile of empathy towards the teen. This is the reason she took up the job of being a counselor at this abuse help clinic, to help young girls like her._

_"I'm...I'm here." Gwen announced slowly to the woman standing in front of her, the same one that witnessed her fight with her cousin just the day before. "But I don't know or think I belong here. I just wanted to let you know that ahead of time."_

_"Okay." Margaret's smile became warmer, encouraging Gwen to follow her back into one of the more private rooms. The soft mint walls in the enclosed and secluded space were adorned with crisp posters, all themed around different forms of abuse. Gwen tried not to look at them, focusing instead on the deep mauve leather couch in front of her. Margaret gestured to the girl to take a seat, letting her take off her coat and get comfortable before starting the conversation._

_"How are you doing, Gwen?" She aked politely, trying to inconspicuously look at the light purple bruising on Gwen's jaw._

_"Fine," The ginger felt too on edge to relax, choosing to sit in an awkward and tense position. "Nothing out of the usual."_

_"Was that scene at school part of the usual?"_

_She didn't want to admit it, to Margaret or herself, but her expression of embarrassed denial told the older woman all she needed to know._

_"Not really...he was just angry that his girlfriend, Julie, hung up on him...I think." Gwen's answer startled the counselor, confusion spread across the woman's face._

_"You're not dating him?"_

_"No! No, um...did it seem that way to you?" Margaret's hesitant nod made Gwen flush with embarrassment. "We're not! At all! He's...actually he's my cousin...Ben Tennyson."_

_"You mean, Ben 10?" She shook her head, trying to take in this new bit of information. This changes things._

_"...I don't belong here...do I?" Of course she didn't, it was just her cousin after all, normal family feuding and all that. She made a move to get up and leave when Margaret quickly raised her hand up to stop her._

_"No, you definitely still belong here," She snapped out of her shocked daze, things were adding up now, starting to anyways. "Is it alright if I asked you a few questions about your relationship with your...cousin?"_

_"Alright." Gwen made herself more comfortable while the much more animated woman across from her took out a notepad from her bag._

_"Thank you, now I want you to be as honest as possible. No holding back or trying to explain away any of your answers, okay?" With an unsure nod form the redhead, she read the first question out loud._

_"Does Ben...have a short temper?"_

_"Well, it depends on the situation, most of the time when we're not fighting aliens or anything like that he's usually pretty laid back, especially around his friends and family."_

_"Remember Gwen, this is about your relationship with Ben. I want you to think of how he interacts with you when you answer, okay?"_

_"Oh...okay." Gwen felt her stomach drop and unconsciously crossed her arms around herself defensively._

_"Now, does Ben have a short temper? Around you?"_

_"...Sometimes. I mean, I usually lose my cool with him to-" Gwen stopped mid-sentence, realizing that she was just trying to justify her answer. "Yes, he does. Sometimes it feels like he saves up all his anger and takes it out on me."_

_"Okay...does Ben act very jealous?"_

_"I don't think so."_

_"There hasn't been any moments where he's gotten angry at you for making plans with other people? Or gotten upset because your attention was on someone else besides him? Does he stare at you a lot?"_

_"Ummm, yes; yes since we were kids; and I'm not sure on the last one."_

_"Does he exaggerate fights?"_

_"All the time, it's like he's looking for a fight with me. He's always taunting me."_

_"Tell or suggest what you should wear?" Margaret's pen moved swiftly, jotting down all she could while watching the ginger curiously._

_"Not really."_

_"Mhmm, does Ben have mood swings around you? Like at the bake sale?"_

_"Ummm...yeah."_

_"Does he make you tell him where you're going and who you're with?"_

_"If I'm not home, like I'm with Kevin (my boyfriend), he tends to phone a lot."_

_"More than he does with his girlfriend?"_

_"I don't think so...I don't know how many times he checks up on Julie." Gwen pursed her lips, some of these questions seemed pointless to answer._

_"...Does Ben put you down, Gwen?"_

_"We've always called each other names since we were kids. It's kinda stopped for the most part...but sometimes when he's angry or even as a joke, he'll say stuff that hurts, and it reminds me of when we were little, but for all the wrong reasons," Green eyes locked onto the glass table top in front of her, eyebrows furrowing from all her memories of her cousin, new ones and old._

_"It's like his childish intent to hurt my feelings, like when he was 10, is still there...but it's twisted into wanting to just hurt me."_

_"Has Ben ever hurt you physically or thrown things at you?"_

_"We've had physical altercations before..." Gwen absentmindedly brushed her fingers against the bruises on her jaw. "The worst time was when he wanted to stop Kevin from going power crazy by killing him. I tried to stop him, and eventually we saved Kevin from himself, but it still hurt."_

_"Does he get angry when you disagree with him?"_

_"Ha. A better question would be when does he not get angry?"_

_"Does he like to embarrass you in front of other people?"_

_"...Yes." Gwen wouldn't look her in the eye, knowing full well that the counselor was witness to Ben's usual antics._

_"Okay, thanks for answering honestly, Gwen. Now, I know that this question probably doesn't factor in with you and your cousin, but none the less, if you could answer it, I would appreciate it."_

_"Kay." The redhead relaxed a little, casually looking at the nearest poster._

_"Does Ben...your cousin, pressure you to engage in sexual activity that you feel uncomfortable with?"_

_Red hair was whipped around her face as Gwen locked her wide-eyes with Margaret's dead serious ones._

_"Is-Is that a joke?" She knew it wasn't, but common sense and a lack of a proper response left her with very little words to work with._

_"I didn't think so, but I was just making sure, Gwen."_

_**"Making sure that I haven't had sex with my cousin?"**_

_"I didn't mean to imply that it was about sex, but I was making sure that __Ben__ wasn't trying to pressure you into touching, kissing...does he invade your personal space in an inappropriate way?"_

_"Well no, I don't think so...sorry, I didn't mean to freak out like that."_

_"That's okay," The older woman smiled as Gwen visually seemed to calm down. "I apologize for making you answer those questions, but it's really important and helpful that you did."_

_"Why?"_

_"Those questions are used as a checklist for abusive behaviour. Three or more is a sign that the person is in an abusive relationship."_

_"But I'm not dating my cousin!"_

_"Yes, but domestic abuse doesn't just happen between couples, it happens between family members as well. From what you've told me and what I witnessed with my own eyes, I would say that Ben is abusive towards you, and that needs to __stop.__"_

_"...I don't know how to stop it."_

_"It'll take some time, but if you continue to come here, we can provide you with the right tools and knowledge, as well as a support system. Remember though, that it's completely up to you. You don't have to be here if you don't want to."_

_"I know," Gwen looked thoughtfully at Margaret, returning the warm smile the counselor was giving her. "Thank you."_

* * *

So happy to get reviews! Many thanks to **GroovyJazz**,** MissLevinLover **and** BlindMaster** for your wonderful reviews!

A/N: This chapter may seem like filler, but I think it's important to the plot. It's high time Gwen started realizing that maybe her cousin has been overstepping some boundaries.


	4. Boundaries

Gwen normally didn't mind going to the mall, in fact, she loved the mall. It was a great hangout spot for her friends and shopping with Julie was always a blast. If only she didn't have to spend her Wednesday evening here, with Ben of all people. She rather be at Kevin's garage or at Julie's tennis practice, even if it meant just sitting there on the sidelines, watching them either tinker with spark plugs or swat their tennis racket. Anything was better than Ben dragging her along while he shopped for a decent 'I'm-sorry-for-ruining-our-date-this-Saturday' gift for Julie.

"What do you think, Gwen? Should I just go with something simple like perfume and candy?" The boy did a complete 180 from Monday, completely forgetting his previous spat with his cousin (or so he let on). "Or should I get her a new racket or pair of tennis shoes?"

The ginger half-ignored her cousin, she preoccupied herself with browsing all the girly clothes in the boutique they were in.

"Julie would probably appreciate getting the racket or shoes a lot more than candy," Gwen replied dully, unaware of her cousin currently sneaking up behind her, mid-scare pose when she bitterly finished with a mumbled: "Or you can try giving her an actual genuine apology."

Her arm was clawed with a death grip as Ben spun her around to face him.

"You wanna start something, Gwen? Cause it can be arranged." The brunet warned her with venom in his voice, his grip tightening. Gwen put on her best smile possible while zapping his hand away with a quick flash of pink glow.

**"OWW!"**

"That won't be necessary, Ben." Gwen strolled out the store with an air of confidence, already spotting the next shop she wanted to visit with a peeved Ben rubbing his hand and speed walking towards her.

_"Don't you walk away from me..." _The boy hissed with malice, catching up to his cousin just as she went through the glass sliding doors to A&F.

A loud ringing noise surrounded the two who instantly tensed for combat, but when confetti and pink balloons rained down on them with the store clerks cheering around them in a semi-circle, their battle ready stances went limp in confusion. The pair exchanged a mirrored glance of wonder before a young blond came up to them.

"Congratulations! You two are our 100th couple of the day!" The overly tanned surfer-hipster announced, making Gwen go red in the face. "We'd like to give you 2 tickets to the Coolplay concert happening right here in Bellwood, 3 weeks from now!"

"Seriously?" Ben asked excitedly, bad mood completely vanished. This was perfect, Julie loved Coolplay!

"Yep! All you need to do is prove how much of a lovely couple you are! Why don't you give her a big kiss?" A girl chimed in.

Gwen started to protest, but Ben quickly gave her an innocent but forced peak on the cheek before outstretching his greedy fingers at the group. The blond wouldn't have it though.

"Nah, dude! Not convincing at all. You gotta give her a toe-curling, panty-wetting smooch on the lips, Broseph!"

"You're kidding?" Ben became frustrated, inpatient as always while he debated in his head on what to do. He quickly glanced at the redhead to his left, ignoring her furious headshake at the idea.

"No. Ben you're not-" Gwen was grabbed roughly into a tight embrace, her cousin's arm clamped around her neck like a bear trap before bending her back and violating her mouth with his own. Cheers and wolf whistles could be heard from all around them, urging the hormonal teen on.

Gwen physically started to protest when she felt her cousin's tongue burrow into her mouth, but her rebellious wrist was held down by his free hand. The sloppy and vulgar kiss was over before she could retaliate, leaving the redhead in shock while Ben went for his prize.

"Thanks!" Ben nearly ripped the two concert tickets out of the chuckling dude's hand, completely oblivious to a pissed off redhead storming out of the store. By the time he realized she was gone, Gwen was marching out of the mall, debating if she should just walk or catch a cab. Fortunately a friendly voice brought her out of her irritation-induced indecisiveness.

"Hey, Gwen!" An awkward blond croaked out while trying to hide his embarrassed blush that crept up on his cheeks.

"Cooper?"

"Yeah, are you leaving? I just got here, but I noticed you walking out," He met her on the sidewalk leading out to the parking lot. "If you want I can give you a lift back home if you'd like? Oh, hey Ben! Didn't know you were with her."

Gwen turned and backed away from her huffing and puffing cousin who wasn't looking too happy at her ditching.

"What the fuck was that about, Gwen?" The brunet barked out, rudely pushing Gwen away from the taller boy while ignoring the telekinetic's protest.

"Don't even talk to me!" She shoved him back harshly, nearly causing the wonder-boy to trip over. Thus, the shoving war between the two commenced, and not even the awkward attempts a certain blond made to stop the feud was working. Cooper didn't think it was anything too serious though, the cousin were just having a normal family spat and it was stupid to try and get between them like this.

Only when Ben finally had enough did he grab the surprised ginger by the front of her sweater and knock her down onto the pavement. Gwen hissed out in frustration and pain from the bloody gash in her knee, her stockings were ruined and a smug Ben looked down at her in satisfaction.

"Hurry up, and get in my car Gwen." He ordered his fuming cousin, and made a move to grab her up by the arm when Cooper intervened.

"Actually Ben, I could take Gwen home, it's no big deal...If that's okay with you, Gwen?"

"Stay the hell out of this, Cooper!"

"No, I'm going home with him, Ben," Gwen looked into her cousin's eyes with determination; she ignored the throbbing pain in her knees. "Let's go, Cooper."

_"I just said to get the fuck in my car,"_ The brunet blocked their attempt at leaving while flexing his left hand in an unsaid threat to use brute alien-force if necessary. "Did you not hear me?"

"Why is it such a big deal if I'm the one to take Gwen home instead of you?" Cooper was honestly a bit confused and curious. Ben continued to ignore the boy for the most part, still fixated on his glaring cousin.

"Just because Kevin isn't here, you think it's okay to ride around with other guys?" Ben accused the girl with his words and eyes, trying to hit a nerve and make Gwen see some sense. "I'll tell him! I'll phone him right now and-"

"Will you shut up?" A zap of pink mana interrupted Ben's rant, his green phone was blasted out of his hand while his jaw hung low in shock. The surprise in his expression was soon replaced with a blank look of irritation. Gwen could see the change in her cousin's eyes as he raised his head, it was his unspoken challenge he gave to people, enemies and allies alike, when they crossed his line.

Cooper was starting to worry, thinking the cousin's really were going to start something. Gwen had enough of their stare down though, pulling out a small book from seemingly out of nowhere and recited the incantation inside before Ben could stop her.

_"Abeo Exorior!"_ She was gone in a dome of bright pink light, leaving the two boys on the darkened streets. Ben was quietly glaring at the vacant spot his cousin left while Cooper hovered his tossed cell over to him, awkwardly trying to find what to say.

"Maybe...you shouldn't have pushed or yelled at her...She's still a girl you know."

"There's something wrong with Gwen," Ben declared, dusting off his phone before putting it away to stare the blond in the eye. "She's been acting weird lately."

"Do...you need any help?" Cooper offered warily.

"No," Ben started to make his way towards his car. His face was hidden in the shadows, away from the naive Cooper's gaze."I'll deal with this by myself."

* * *

Thanks **MissLevinLover** for your awesome review! And yeah, it depends on the counselor, I had good ones and not so good ones before.

A/N: Ben uses the "lol-we're-family-nothing-counts" mentality when facing those pesky personal boundaries.


	5. Misconceptions

Besides the slight migraine that was slowly receding from her head, Gwen felt finally stress free. Her room was like a mini oasis of relaxation, and the rhythmic strokes her hairbrush made through her red locks while she sat pajama clad in bed were so soothing. She was starting to show a backbone when it came to dealing with her cousin. Ben could go play emotional games with someone else. Nothing could ruin this moment of triumph for her. Nothing.

_Rap-rap._

Gwen ignored the knocking at her window, only momentarily pausing in her grooming before continuing in even strokes.

_BAM-BAM-BAM_

Ben's stupid grin was pressed up against the window panes, fingers wiggling in greeting while his breath fogged up the glass. She stared at him in annoyance for a moment before quickly using her mana to shut the curtains tightly. A muffled 'OH, COME ON!' was heard from behind them, but she continued to ignore him until he barged his way in and sat cockily on her windowsill.

"Now you're just being mean."

"Get out of my room."

Of course he ignored her, choosing to slide into her desk chair instead, swerving around to face the impatient girl with a much more serious and worried expression.

"Enough, Gwen...What's wrong?" Ben waited for his cousin to spill her guts, watching her gently comb her warm strands of deep ginger.

"Nothing. Get out of my room." Sometimes he had the strangest urge to run his own fingers through her hair, just to see if it was as smooth as it looked.

"We could play this stupid game, or you can just tell me why you're acting like a lunatic all of a sudden?" Gwen snubbed her nose up at his suggestion, hating the way she could feel his eyes on her.

"I'm not. Get out, you're making my migraine worse." Sometimes, he also had the strangest urge to lace his fingers through those locks and yank on them as hard as possible. As Ben watched his cousin huff out in irritation at him, he realized that this was one of those demented moments.

"I'm going to count to three, Ben." He laughed at her gesture, giving her a look to dare her to do something.

"1...2..."

"Seriously Gwen, it's not like you can actually do anything."

"3...MOM!" Fortunately for Gwen, her mother was down the hall, putting away some fresh linen, she quickly opened her daughter's door to her room, witnessing the girl being wrestled down by her nephew. She stared blankly at the two struggling forms, watching the boy trying to smother the redhead with her pillow.

"What is it, Gwennie?" The girl tried to gasp her answer out from under the provoked brunet.

"I told Ben to get *huff* OUT and he won't!"

"Ben-honey, Gwennie has school tomorrow and so do you, I think it's time you went home." Gwen mentally berated her mother for being so lenient with the psychotic boy on top of her.

"I will as soon as I'm done talking with Gwen!" He straddled his cousin to the bed, fighting for control while his aunt sighed at the usual scene.

"Nope, I'm not doing this with you! Get out!" The loud commotion peaked Frank Tennyson's curiosity, he stuck his head in while exchanging an exhausted look with his wife.

"Ben," The brunet stopped quarreling with his cousin to look at his aunt and uncle. The older bespectacled man wasn't going to take no for an answer. "Home. Now."

_"Fine."_ He shoved her childishly one last time before getting up. She watched cautiously from her window as his darkened figure strolled back to his car, not once looking back until he was opening the door.

The light pooling down from the lamp post cast an eerie shadow across Ben's solemn face, it was beyond creepy and she stuck her tongue out reflexively to hide her fear.

"Tomorrow." He warned, cheesily pointing up his finger towards the snorting redhead.

"Whatever." Ben watched his cousin roll her eyes before clawing her curtains closed and waited until her light was off. He quietly slipped a small card out of his back pocket. The street lamp illuminated the black print and he read the bold letters carefully.

_Bellwood Domestic Violence Clinic_

* * *

Margaret was one of the last to leave for the evening, the only other person in the building with her was her boss, Trisha. They were in the main lobby getting ready to pack up and finally go home.

"How are you handling your newest client, uh...what was her name again?"

"Gwen?" The sound of something squeaking came from the unlit waiting area and Margaret seemed like the only one who noticed.

"Yes...that's the one. How's she doing? Is it bad?" As Margaret scanned the dark couches and stacks of magazines, Trisha busily stuffed her briefcase with papers and her extra sweater she thought she needed that morning.

"Well it could be worse...it also could be better. She definitely has her work cut out for her."

"What's her boyfriend like...the usual?" Margaret didn't want to say anything too revealing about the girl's situation, she promised she wouldn't tell anyone about the abuser being her own cousin.

"Mmm, he's the classic offender right down to the letter...except."

"Except what?" Trisha waited patiently, unaware of the office drawer behind her closing slowly on it's own. Margaret had to do a double take to make sure she wasn't seeing things. "Margaret?"

"Oh! Uh, except I think she's hiding the, ahem, sexual part of the abuse...most definitely ashamed of it. She won't talk about it at all." As the two ladies walked out the front door, Margaret could have sworn she heard a hissing noise right behind her.

"That's usually how it goes. The worst parts are always the hardest to talk about...Have a good night, see you tomorrow."

"You too." The women split ways, not noticing the reptilian-like shadow crawling away into a back alley. The alien known as Chamalien appeared for only a moment until a green light flashed and an enraged teenage boy took it's place. Ben breathed out slowly and forced himself to stay in control. His fist came up to his mouth, teeth gnashing into his knuckles, it was the only way to stop himself from screaming at the top of his lungs.

_**Kevin...**_

* * *

Gwen liked to think she has the patience of a saint most of the time, that she was a people pleaser and could handle even Vilgax's obnoxious temperament...and then there was Ben. He was the exception to the rule, to every rule it seemed like.

She tried opening the passenger's door to Kevin's Challenger, as usual he came to pick her up after school, but Ben's green clad arm slammed it roughly shut. He winked at her confused face mischievously.

"That's okay, Gwen. I'll give you a ride home or where ever you need to go."

"No...I'm going with Kevin like I always do." She dodged away from her cousin's arm trying to wind itself around around her shoulder. Kevin honked the horn impatiently, asking the two what the hold up was. He was greeted with an angry Ben glaring at him through the open window.

_"Does Gwen need your permission to talk to me?"_ Kevin gaped for an answer to his barked question, wondering to himself why Ben was having severe PMS all of a sudden. _"Well? __Does she?__"_

"Nah...no?"

"Then shut up and move along, Levin. I'm taking her home."

"But-"

"DEAL WITH IT!" Gwen pulled her spazzing cousin back from kicking in the car door. She maneuvered the boy towards his own car a few spaces away using a pink lasso of energy.

"Sorry, Kevin. I'll...deal with Ben and I'll come see you later at your garage." She tried to reassure her deflated boyfriend with a strained grin, waving as he started to drive away while mumbling about feeling like a jilted chauffeur. Gwen walked over to the huffing Ben, not really preparing to 'deal' with him at all.

"Okay...what is it this time?"

"I wanted to talk to you uh about..." He fumbled for a topic, choosing one at random that seemed plausible. "About Julie! Yeah...Honestly Gwen, this is serious, a relationship is on the line."

Gwen studied her cousin, he looked deep into her eyes, pleading with her silently.

"Mmm...no." Gwen shook her head at his disbelieving surprise and tried to walk past him only to get her elbow caught in his grip.

"Okay, okay," Ben steered her back towards his car, ignoring her stiffness. "This isn't about Julie...it's about you...and Kevin."

"What about us?" She pulled her weight against his, refusing the open door that he was trying to trap her in.

"I'm worried!" He hushed his voice when he felt her flinch away, calming it down to a soothing tone. "I'm worried about you...okay? And this isn't the best place to talk about something like this."

"Fine."

* * *

Thanks everyone for all your reviews, they're always wonderful to read!

The lovely reviewers: **MissLevinLover, lordsesshomaru2, kitkat2150, bowow0708, Guest, BlindMaster, MarinnaL, Nyx811, grimmPhantom and KhaalidaNyx**

And thanks for the favs, follows and taking your time to read this fic!

A/N: Aha, I bet you all thought Ben was going to freak out on her didn't you? Well he's definitely going to go apeshit on someone soon, but this Ben is a bit more canon now that I watched nearly all AF and UA episodes. Hopefully anyways.


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